What’s the Role of a ‘Technical Director’ at Selene Yachts Americas?

If you’re already familiar with Selene Yachts, our esteemed Technical Director Dylan Hildebrand is probably no stranger to you. Whether you interact with Dylan at a boat show, over a call, or even online (including through our YouTube videos), his deep knowledge, experience, and love of boating quickly shines through.

When Dylan flew to Australia last autumn to help Nathan and Lindsey of The 71 Percent prepare for their Pacific crossing on Selene 49 Classic Explorer ‘Ruth Pearl II’, Nathan was surprised to learn the extent of Dylan’s experience, as well as what goes into the commissioning of a newly built boat. Watch Nathan’s fun interview with Dylan below.

Here are several of the key roles that Dylan Hildebrand plays at Selene Yachts Americas:

Designing Systems for Optimal Safety and Efficiency

As Dylan eloquently explains in this video about the Selene S3 Promise, to him and Selene, ‘safety’ isn’t really about life preservers, flares and a medical kit. Safety is about building a safe, stable, and efficient boat from the hull up. This is why Dylan makes sure a Selene’s controls, and systems are easy to access, use, and maintain even when a crew is tired or under stressful conditions.

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Overseeing Yacht Quality Control During Build

With the title of Chief Engineer at the Selene Shipyard in Zhuhai, Dylan works closely with owners, project managers, shipyard engineers, and even Selene owner and naval architect Howard Chen during every stage of a new Selene’s design and construction. This means helping owners create a mission statement for their yachts before guiding them through layout design and system selection.

Then, once a yacht is under construction, either Dylan or a member of his team will regularly visit the yard itself to ensure everything is fabricated and installed to specifications and the highest quality standards.  

Commissioning of New Vessels

Once a new Selene arrives in North America, Dylan and his technical team give the boat a work-out to ensure that all systems function properly and that the boat is ready for any kind of blue water adventure. He and his team also train the new owners on how to properly use and maintain all major equipment on board.
 

Training Our Growing Technical Team

With an increasing number of Selene yachts in-build and on-the-water (and given the fact we are unable to clone him), Dylan has recently added technical staff on both coasts to assist with in-build project management as well as new-vessel commissioning. As part of this process, Dylan is training his technical staff to maintain the highest standards and fulfill our Selene S3 Promise.  

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Fostering ‘Partner’ Relationships with Top Manufacturers

As Dylan explains in this video with CMC Marine Corp, Selene Yachts is never looking for ‘vendors’, but long term ‘partner’ relationships with manufacturers that are dedicated to supporting our owners and maintaining Selene’s high quality standards.

In this role, Dylan is constantly looking into the latest innovative equipment and vetting potential partners. And once a partnership is formed, Dylan tests new equipment and makes sure it works properly in every Selene.

Supporting Owners through Guidance Notes and Constant Innovation

Just because Dylan believes every new boat is an opportunity for improvement doesn’t mean he and Selene forget about the 450 Selene yachts already out on the water. Listening closely to the needs and experiences of both new and longstanding owners, Dylan and his team publishes guidance notes whenever an issue emerges or when there is an opportunity to improve boats through new technology or equipment.  

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Collaborating with Howard Chen on New Boat Designs

As is most evident in the launch of our latest model, the Selene 52 Ocean Explorer, Dylan actively collaborates with naval architect Howard Chen and the design team in Zhuhai to concept and realize yachts that meet the needs of our customers in North America.

Questions for Dylan and our Technical Team? Contact us today.

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